Ravena relishes chance to join SEAG-bound Gilas roster
Kiefer Ravena. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/ Joaqui Flores
Make no mistake, Kiefer Ravena is hell-bent on making his case for the Gilas Pilipinas roster in the 2017 Southeast Asian Games.
Named to the pool on Friday by coach Chot Reyes, the 23-year-old shared that he’s motivated to make the cut which will allow him to take a shot at the history books.
“The chance is here and it’s been a dream of mine to have the record for most medals (in the SEA Games),” he said.
With already three gold medals in the regional tiff under his belt, Ravena can get record number four if he makes the final lineup and win the Philippines its 18th championship.
But the two-time UAAP Most Valuable Player knows that advancing to the final 12 is easier said than done, and for now, he just treasures the chance that has been given to him.
“I guess I had a good talk with coach Chot and being committed here for the meantime, I’ll just make the most of it. I’m glad to be back and have the opportunity to fight for a spot, especially this upcoming Jones Cup and SEA Games. We’ll see where we’ll go, but I’m just excited to be part of the pool finally,” he said.
Ravena is looking forward to hitting the courts anew once he and Kobe Paras return from the 2017 Fiba 3×3 World Cup in Nantes, France, where they will immediately join the Gilas practices on June 22.
“Based on what I saw (in the 2017 Seaba Championship), the adjustment you need is you have to find your role in coach Chot’s system,” he said. “Having point guards there with Jio (Jalalon) and Mike (Tolomia), they are already very used with how the system is ran, so I have to find that role in time for the tournaments. Time doesn’t favor me, but I’ll double-time and double the effort.”
